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Those Who Fall: An Unforgettable Chronicle of War in the Air
The author recalls his dangerous missions as a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber pilot during the Second World War and chronicles his prisoner-of-war experiences after his plane was shot down over Bulgaria
258 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 17, 2023
“I have heard my engines since that day, down through all the years when a trick of time or memory catches me. I have heard them in an empty sky. I have heard them in familiar rooms. I have heard them coming in from the sea, roaring above the tumult of the surf. I have heard them in the night. I have heard them thundering over the land. I hear them still.”
I have been in a B-17 three times in my life. The first two visits were just tours but the last one was a flight where I got to play the role of bombardier and top turret gunner. They did not let me touch the flight controls which is why I'm still here to write about it. What struck me was the noise, the extreme close quarters of the forward crew and their absolute vulnerability... just some plexiglass and thin metal separating them from the environment and the enemy.
John Muirhead was 68 years old when he published this incredible memoir about his experiences as a pilot with the 301st Bombardment Group, a unit of the US 15th Air Force flying missions against the Axis from a base in southeast Italy. More than forty years before, as a young B-17 pilot Lt. Muirhead flew missions against targets in Munich, Germany, Wiener-Neustadt, Austria and, of course, the infamous Ploesti oil facilities in Romania, as well as tactical targets like bridges and submarine pens. The targets were well defended by German fighters and many, many flak guns. Read this memoir and you can try to understand what it was like.
“Top turret to pilot. They’re back. Three o'clock level.' Pete hesitated, as though he were puzzled. ‘Queer—For Christ’s sake! They’re JU-88s, a string of them! I make out six. Off about a thousand yards, on our course. The rest of you guys? Do you see anything else?…They're turning— Rockets! Jesus, they’re shootin fuckin rockets at us!’ A stream of white smoke trailing what looked like a silver projectile shot up through the formation! Christ, they were firing rockets at us! White puffs followed the thing as it twisted in a turn and hurtled down toward the group below us.”
“Two waves were coming straight in, ten in each line. They were ME-210s, two-engine fighters with plenty of firepower. One line was attacking level, heading for the lead squadron; the other line of ten was slightly higher, and were sliding over the top of their comrades, positioning for an attack on our squadron…Our squadron leader began to go to pieces: large chunks of metal blew away from the lower part of the nose; the chin turret was hanging at a strange angle; the end of his right wing blew away, and the plane flipped over. It continued to turn, performing a looping barrel roll of flame before it fell from us in an almost vertical dive.”
“The flak engulfed us. It was so intense we could only feel the turbulence from the near bursts; we were in a swirling torrent that obscured the individual explosions except when they came close and fire blazed out of the shadows. Something slammed into the armor plate on the back of my seat; a gaping hole appeared in the Plexiglas over my head.”
The chances of surviving 50 missions was near zero, but they flew on anyway, mission after mission. Indeed, Lt Muirhead was shot down on a mission against Ploesti and he spent the rest of the war in a Bulgarian POW camp. He provides a gritty account of his survival in that camp.
When I was had just returned from the B-17 flight I mentioned earlier and exited the forward hatch, I got to talking with a USAAF veteran standing on the tarmac. He was a waist gunner in the 8th Air Force in WW2. I asked him if he planned on taking a ride and he said "No fucking way". When he completed his last mission in Spring 1945 he kissed the ground and promised he would never get into one of "these damn planes" again, and he kept his word.
When John Muirhead returned from the war he returned to working in the nearby New England shipyard, married, raised a family and led a quiet life. This was John Muirhead's only book. I think he wrote it because he wanted to remember and he wanted to forget. He lived only a few years after the book was published and I hope it gave him some peace.
“It was long ago, and he has not returned. The young man still stands in the wind. He will always be there, holding my youth forever to him, secret and quiet, never moving, never yielding to time nor the endless seasons of snow and sun. He is gone from me, and | shall never come upon him again.”
I have been in a B-17 three times in my life. The first two visits were just tours but the last one was a flight where I got to play the role of bombardier and top turret gunner. They did not let me touch the flight controls which is why I'm still here to write about it. What struck me was the noise, the extreme close quarters of the forward crew and their absolute vulnerability... just some plexiglass and thin metal separating them from the environment and the enemy.
John Muirhead was 68 years old when he published this incredible memoir about his experiences as a pilot with the 301st Bombardment Group, a unit of the US 15th Air Force flying missions against the Axis from a base in southeast Italy. More than forty years before, as a young B-17 pilot Lt. Muirhead flew missions against targets in Munich, Germany, Wiener-Neustadt, Austria and, of course, the infamous Ploesti oil facilities in Romania, as well as tactical targets like bridges and submarine pens. The targets were well defended by German fighters and many, many flak guns. Read this memoir and you can try to understand what it was like.
“Top turret to pilot. They’re back. Three o'clock level.' Pete hesitated, as though he were puzzled. ‘Queer—For Christ’s sake! They’re JU-88s, a string of them! I make out six. Off about a thousand yards, on our course. The rest of you guys? Do you see anything else?…They're turning— Rockets! Jesus, they’re shootin fuckin rockets at us!’ A stream of white smoke trailing what looked like a silver projectile shot up through the formation! Christ, they were firing rockets at us! White puffs followed the thing as it twisted in a turn and hurtled down toward the group below us.”
“Two waves were coming straight in, ten in each line. They were ME-210s, two-engine fighters with plenty of firepower. One line was attacking level, heading for the lead squadron; the other line of ten was slightly higher, and were sliding over the top of their comrades, positioning for an attack on our squadron…Our squadron leader began to go to pieces: large chunks of metal blew away from the lower part of the nose; the chin turret was hanging at a strange angle; the end of his right wing blew away, and the plane flipped over. It continued to turn, performing a looping barrel roll of flame before it fell from us in an almost vertical dive.”
“The flak engulfed us. It was so intense we could only feel the turbulence from the near bursts; we were in a swirling torrent that obscured the individual explosions except when they came close and fire blazed out of the shadows. Something slammed into the armor plate on the back of my seat; a gaping hole appeared in the Plexiglas over my head.”
The chances of surviving 50 missions was near zero, but they flew on anyway, mission after mission. Indeed, Lt Muirhead was shot down on a mission against Ploesti and he spent the rest of the war in a Bulgarian POW camp. He provides a gritty account of his survival in that camp.
When I was had just returned from the B-17 flight I mentioned earlier and exited the forward hatch, I got to talking with a USAAF veteran standing on the tarmac. He was a waist gunner in the 8th Air Force in WW2. I asked him if he planned on taking a ride and he said "No fucking way". When he completed his last mission in Spring 1945 he kissed the ground and promised he would never get into one of "these damn planes" again, and he kept his word.
When John Muirhead returned from the war he returned to working in the nearby New England shipyard, married, raised a family and led a quiet life. This was John Muirhead's only book. I think he wrote it because he wanted to remember and he wanted to forget. He lived only a few years after the book was published and I hope it gave him some peace.
“It was long ago, and he has not returned. The young man still stands in the wind. He will always be there, holding my youth forever to him, secret and quiet, never moving, never yielding to time nor the endless seasons of snow and sun. He is gone from me, and | shall never come upon him again.”
September 12, 2019
Those Who Fall: An Unforgettable Chronicle of War in the Air by John Muirhead presents his memoir of flying B-17 Flying Fortress bombers during WWII from from bases in southern Italy to oil fields and industrial complexes in Bulgaria, Germany, and Northern Italy. He gives a detailed first-hand account of a pilot's duties and actions in carrying out missions, taking damage, and making it back to base. The writing is very well done and takes the reader along for the ride to experience the terror of being shot at and the helplessness of going through flack approaching and leaving the target area. He is less descriptive about members of his air crew as they are often swapped between planes and missions. But eventually, his luck runs out and his plane is shot down while on a run and all but one of his crew were able to bail out. His story continues on the ground as they are rounded up one by one and eventually turned over to the Germans who put them in a POW camp where they wait out the end of the war. Well written, it makes the events and experiences real for the reader. Great read for WWII and air war buffs, but also those interested in history.
March 31, 2022
Those Who Fall: An Unforgettable Chronicle of War in the Air, by John Muirhead (2017, audiobook ~11 hours). This story about the author’s time as a young B-17 bomber pilot in WWII flying out of Italy is interesting despite his unappealing personality. He gets credit for honesty, but admitting to having little to no interest in knowing his crew mates (dead or alive) and other flying colleagues made him, for me, a less than interesting character. He matter of factly writes about his many flying missions, activities between flights, and his ultimate capture and imprisonment after being shot down, but his relatively impersonal narrative was off putting.
November 11, 2023
For me, this was a fantastic read. I truly enjoyed reading about the day-to-day life of our bomber crew members during the air war over Europe. Of course, the terror and action of the individual missions was fascinating but for me, I could really relate to the monotony of deployed living between missions, including the ways to stay entertained and the “household” problems they had to overcome. The story flowed smoothly from one chapter to the next and I was riveted for the final chapters of this story. Absolutely happy with my decision to pick this up.
February 17, 2021
Excellent chronicle of a WWII B17 pilot’s experiences flying missions over Italy and Romania and then being captured by the. Bulgarians. It’s well written and well performed by the Audible reader. Really makes you feel the author’s feelings. Tough life. Perhaps not as tough as the infantry, but still looking at fifty missions had to be traumatic
August 29, 2024
I read this many years ago, and the ending brought me to tears. Having been through the USAF survival schools, I could relate, albeit in a very small way, to that emotion of release when the war was ended and the prisoners freed.
Highly recommend for the clear writing and the raw emotional impact of the ending of the account.
Highly recommend for the clear writing and the raw emotional impact of the ending of the account.
October 23, 2020
An amazing book!
January 6, 2021
Excellent listen on Audible. Very well written. I agree with many of the other reviewers I have read that he is a good writer. Good story.
May 12, 2021
a beautifully written memoir about life as a bomber pilot during WW2. I'd highly recommend it for anyone with an interest in the history of this epic time period.
November 12, 2021
Another amazing true story from WWII concerning John Muirhead a pilot of a B17 who survived 35 missions into northern Italy, Germany and Bulgaria.
June 1, 2024
Audiobook
June 14, 2010
Memoir of a WWII American bomber pilot based in Italy. Muirhead would appear to be a solitary man, not a loner, I think there's a difference. He's not at all concerned with his fellow airmen or crew members, in fact he doesn't seem to recall too many of them specifically saying that the crews changed so often on his plane that he never really got to know too many of his fellow crew members at all. What he remembers most is flying, and he writes about that with a poetic ease that I found almost spiritual. His love of the planes, the sound of the engines, the weather, everything about it was kind of a mystical experience for him.
His description of how his bomber was shot down and how he got out of the plane is one of the most exciting and harrowing WWII stories I have ever read. Not bad for a library book sale find!
His description of how his bomber was shot down and how he got out of the plane is one of the most exciting and harrowing WWII stories I have ever read. Not bad for a library book sale find!
August 17, 2021
I thought this book included some nice insight into the day to day flying these guys did in that time. Really appreciated the perspective.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews